Arsenal treated fans to a sensational pre-season match at LA's SoFi Stadium, with Kai Havertz impressively finding the net to secure a 5-3 victory over Barcelona.
The action-packed encounter on the US West Coast saw Barca take the lead twice before half-time, with Robert Lewandowski scoring the opener from the rebound within the first 10 minutes. However, Bukayo Saka responded soon after with a goal, capitalizing on a heavy touch by Andreas Christensen. Saka later missed an opportunity to put Arsenal in front when his penalty shot went astray. Barcelona made them pay for it as Raphinha's deflected free-kick caught Arsenal's goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale off guard. Nevertheless, just before the break, Havertz leveled the score with a well-timed finish from Martin Odegaard's knock-down.
The goal fest continued after the break, with Leandro Trossard delivering a superbly swept finish into the bottom corner, granting Arsenal the lead for the first time. Barcelona came close to leveling the score again, but Ousmane Dembele's attempt was denied by the foot of Ramsdale's near post. Instead, Trossard scored once more with a powerful first-time finish from Kieran Tierney's deep cross, leaving Barcelona's substitute goalkeeper Inaki Pena unable to prevent the goal.
Barcelona's left-back Alejandro Balde also had his efforts thwarted by the woodwork late in the match. However, the LaLiga champions managed to find a second-half breakthrough through Ferran Torres, the former Manchester City winger, who fired in a goal across Ramsdale.
Not to be outdone, Arsenal concluded the scoring with a spectacular 25-yard strike from Fabio Vieira, adding a fitting finish to the exciting encounter in Los Angeles.
After the match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that Declan Rice, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Folarin Balogun all missed the game due to minor injuries, with Balogun being the subject of interest from Inter Milan in the summer transfer window.
Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona's manager, questioned the unusually high level of intensity displayed by Arsenal during the friendly match, which resulted in three yellow cards being shown – a rarity in pre-season games. In response, Arteta defended his players, stating that the competitive atmosphere was a result of playing in front of 70,000 fans, with elite players eager to win.
Xavi's side played their first pre-season match after a previous game with Juventus was called off due to illness. The encounter between the two former midfield colleagues, Xavi and Arteta, brought about some touchline clashes, with Xavi acknowledging Arsenal's deserved win, attributing the result to their higher intensity compared to his team's defensive lapses.
In summary, Arsenal's impressive display and thrilling victory over Barcelona provided an entertaining show for the 70,000 fans present at LA's SoFi Stadium, despite the match being a pre-season friendly.
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